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The Autobiography of a Quack, and The Case
The Autobiography of a Quack, and The Case

Chapter IV · Chapter 4

Chapter 4 of The Autobiography of a Quack, and The Case is here in full — 203 sentences across 41 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for The Autobiography of a Quack, and The Case
Context Illustration Reading 1/40 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
I was silent.
A great anguish had me in its grip.
I might squirm as I would, it was all in vain.
Hideous plans rose to my mind, born of this agony of terror.
I might murder Stagers, but what good would that do?
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AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

The Autobiography of a Quack, and The Case

Chapter IV · Chapter 4

Chapter 4 of The Autobiography of a Quack, and The Case is here in full — 203 sentences across 41 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/40 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
I was silent.
Line 2
A great anguish had me in its grip.
Line 3
I might squirm as I would, it was all in vain.
Line 4
Hideous plans rose to my mind, born of this agony of terror.
Line 5
I might murder Stagers, but what good would that do?

Learner Dictionary

These definitions explain words found in the current reading and keep every example grounded in its original sentence.

Oxford-style entry order: headword, part of speech, US IPA, concise definition, contextual example, and audio.

Agony noun US /ˈæɡ.ə.ni/

Extreme physical or mental suffering; intense anguish.

From this reading “Hideous plans rose to my mind, born of this agony of terror.”

Mind noun US /maɪnd/

The element of a person that enables awareness and thought.

From this reading “Hideous plans rose to my mind, born of this agony of terror.”

All words in this reading · 36

Every word in these five lines is listed here, and every one of them can be played on its own.

Dictionary details are shown only when verified; these are not licensed Oxford entries.

A

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading A great anguish had me in its grip.

agonynounUS /ˈæɡ.ə.ni/

Extreme physical or mental suffering; intense anguish.

From this reading Hideous plans rose to my mind, born of this agony of terror.

all

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading I might squirm as I would, it was all in vain.

anguish

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading A great anguish had me in its grip.

as

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading I might squirm as I would, it was all in vain.

born

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Hideous plans rose to my mind, born of this agony of terror.

but

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading I might murder Stagers, but what good would that do?

do

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading I might murder Stagers, but what good would that do?

good

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading I might murder Stagers, but what good would that do?

great

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading A great anguish had me in its grip.

grip

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading A great anguish had me in its grip.

had

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading A great anguish had me in its grip.

Hideous

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Hideous plans rose to my mind, born of this agony of terror.

I

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading I was silent.

in

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading A great anguish had me in its grip.

it

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading I might squirm as I would, it was all in vain.

its

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading A great anguish had me in its grip.

me

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading A great anguish had me in its grip.

might

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading I might squirm as I would, it was all in vain.

mindnounUS /maɪnd/

The element of a person that enables awareness and thought.

From this reading Hideous plans rose to my mind, born of this agony of terror.

murder

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading I might murder Stagers, but what good would that do?

my

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Hideous plans rose to my mind, born of this agony of terror.

of

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Hideous plans rose to my mind, born of this agony of terror.

plans

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Hideous plans rose to my mind, born of this agony of terror.

rose

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Hideous plans rose to my mind, born of this agony of terror.

silent

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading I was silent.

squirm

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading I might squirm as I would, it was all in vain.

Stagers

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading I might murder Stagers, but what good would that do?

terror

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Hideous plans rose to my mind, born of this agony of terror.

that

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading I might murder Stagers, but what good would that do?

this

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Hideous plans rose to my mind, born of this agony of terror.

to

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Hideous plans rose to my mind, born of this agony of terror.

vain

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading I might squirm as I would, it was all in vain.

was

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading I was silent.

what

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading I might murder Stagers, but what good would that do?

would

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading I might squirm as I would, it was all in vain.

Chapter 4 of The Autobiography of a Quack, and The Case by S. Weir (Silas Weir) Mitchell holds 203 sentences, grouped into 41 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the public-domain source, unabridged, and the chapter records which sentences cover which part of the work so that nothing is dropped. Every word can be tapped for its pronunciation and dictionary entry.

What does chapter 4 of The Autobiography of a Quack, and The Case contain?

Chapter 4 holds 203 sentences of The Autobiography of a Quack, and The Case, unabridged, divided into 41 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 4 of The Autobiography of a Quack, and The Case by S. Weir (Silas Weir) Mitchell exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 203 sentences, grouped into 41 sections of at most 5 sentences so that a reader can take the chapter in steady, finishable pieces. The chapter also stores a coverage record mapping every one of its sentences to a part of the work, which is how the edition demonstrates that no line was dropped.

How do I study chapter 4 of The Autobiography of a Quack, and The Case?

Work through the 41 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 41 sections in this chapter is short enough to read once, hear once, and then re-read with the vocabulary in view. Tapping a word plays it alone and opens its dictionary entry with IPA, part of speech and meaning, so the reader is never forced to guess a pronunciation from spelling. Working section by section keeps a long chapter from becoming an undifferentiated wall of text, which is the usual reason a reader abandons a work of this period.

Can chapter 4 be read aloud to me?

Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 4 can be played aloud in United States English.

Audio covers the whole chapter: any sentence can be played, and any single word within it can be played on its own. The voice uses United States English. For a work of this period that matters, because spelling is an unreliable guide to pronunciation for vocabulary that has fallen out of daily use, and a learner who guesses wrong tends to keep the error. Hearing the word in its own sentence, and then alone, settles it.

Questions about reading The Autobiography of a Quack, and The Case

Common questions about reading The Autobiography of a Quack, and The Case by S. Weir (Silas Weir) Mitchell on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of The Autobiography of a Quack, and The Case?

Yes. All 1588 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #693 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of The Autobiography of a Quack, and The Case is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #693, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does The Autobiography of a Quack, and The Case take to read?

About 132 minutes of reading across 318 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read The Autobiography of a Quack, and The Case section by section

How to work through The Autobiography of a Quack, and The Case section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 8 chapters of The Autobiography of a Quack, and The Case to begin.

  2. Read one section

    Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.

  3. Listen and tap

    Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.

Vocabulary met early in The Autobiography of a Quack, and The Case

Words and structures a reader meets early in The Autobiography of a Quack, and The Case, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Mitchell
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Autobiography of a Quack, and The Case; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Harvard
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Autobiography of a Quack, and The Case; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Edinburgh
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Autobiography of a Quack, and The Case; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Tales
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Autobiography of a Quack, and The Case; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.